Cherry Balsamic Sauce

If you love a good balsamic glaze, you are going to go gaga over this cherry balsamic sauce!

spoon with cherry balsamic sauce


 

Cherries in my Sauce?

Yep, cherries in your sauce. We were visiting the beach this summer and sought out some dry packed scallops at a local seafood joint. They also has local sauces. It reminded me of my blueberry balsamic sauce recipe, just with cherries.

I picked up a jar of onion jam and cherry balsamic sauce to pair with the scallops and headed on my merry way.

cherry balsamic sauce in a white saucepan

But long after the bottle was emptied I kept obsessing. I love balsamic glaze and I love cherries. The chunky sauce was a match made in my own personal flavor heaven.

I needed more.

Simple Sauce

My initial inclination was to just add cherries to my already awesome balsamic sauce, but I did a quick rudimentary search on Google first to see what others were up to.

overhead of cherry balsamic sauce

I was actually kind of shocked to see what was being added. Bold flavors like Dijon mustard and oregano. Didn’t sweet cherries and tart vinegar have enough of a flavor profile to give your tongue a nice zing? One would think…

So I went back to the original plan. Cherries + basic sauce recipe.

Cherries

This happened to fall during fresh cherry season. A time of the year when I need a line item budget just to cover the cost of my pound-per-day cherry addiction.

bowl of fresh cherries

I like bing cherries, but you can also use tart cherries if you prefer.

I do highly suggest using a pitter to save time. This is one of those gadgets I thought was a waste until I actually had one and now can’t think of doing without.

pouring balsamic vinegar into a saucepan

Fresh Cherries vs Frozen Cherries

If your cherry balsamic sauce making doesn’t happen to fall in the short window of cherry season, feel free to use frozen cherries.

Thaw first and then drain well. Any excess water could result in extra time simmering in order to get the signature syrupy sauce.

To Blend, Or Not To Blend

Some people are really opposed to a chunky sauce. Doesn’t bother me- in fact, I like it when it has a little volume and substance.

Because of this, I chop my cherries well and then the simmering does its thing and I am all good.

But if you need a smoother sauce, feel free to give it a few quick blitzes with an immersion blender or run it through a fine mesh sieve.

How to Make Cherry Balsamic Sauce

First, you’ll need your basic ingredients.

ingredients for balsamic cherry sauce
  • Balsamic Vinegar– Don’t waste your money on the good, aged stuff for this recipe. Stick with the cheapest you can find.
  • Sugar– While you could wait a long time for the whole sauce to caramelize and get sweet on its own, adding sugar speeds the process along.
  • Water– Adding water gives the vinegar and the cherries time to cook and break down without burning.
  • Cherries– As discussed above, use tart or sweet, fresh or frozen. Your call!
  • Salt– I like a coarse salt because it is less salty. You’ll need just enough to bring the sweet and savory into balance. If you plan to further salt the dish you are topping, then this can be omitted.

All you need to do is combine ingredients and simmer!

Ways to Use Cherry Balsamic Sauce

Now that I’ve sold you on the sauce, you are probably wondering what to use it on. Good questions!

spooning balsamic sauce onto brussels sprouts

What can’t you use it on is really the question. So far I’ve used this on:

And I plan to use it on a lot more! Anything I can think of, really.

Variations

While I like the basic cherry balsamic sauce, you can customize it for specific dishes or just to give it your own twist.

Here are a few ideas:

  • Fresh herbs– chopped rosemary, thyme or sage
  • Dijon Mustard– just a dab will do the trick
  • Freshly ground pepper– Just a few twists
  • Brown Sugar– to add molasses notes
cherry balsamic sauce for pinterest

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close up of cherry balsamic sauce
spooning cherry balsamic sauce

Cherry Balsamic Sauce

4.50 from 36 votes
With only 4 simple ingredients, this EASY Cherry Balsamic Sauce is perfect for topping chicken, veggies and even vanilla ice cream!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 1 cups

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan, combine balsamic vinegar, sugar, cherries and water. Bring to a low simmer.
  • Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
  • When sauce has reduced, remove from heat and stir in a pinch of coarse Kosher salt. Sauce won’t be the texture of syrup yet- it will still be a little runny, that is normal.
  • Set aside to cool and thicken.
  • When cooled, feel free to use!
  • If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings!

Notes

For a smooth sauce, use an immersion blender, food processor or drain through a fine mesh sieve.

Nutrition

Calories: 358 kcal, Carbohydrates: 78 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 1 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Sodium: 62 mg, Potassium: 592 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 68 g, Vitamin A: 88 IU, Vitamin C: 10 mg, Calcium: 87 mg, Iron: 2 mg
Author: Jessica Formicola
Calories: 358
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Keyword: balsamic cherry sauce, balsamic galze, balsamic sauce
Did you make this recipe?I’d love to see your recipes – snap a picture and mention @savoryexperiments or tag #savoryexperiments!
Jessica Formicola in her ktichen

About the Author

Chef Jessica Anne Formicola

Jessica the mom, wife and chef behind Savory Experiments. You might see her on the Emmy- nominated TV show Plate It! or on bookshelves as a cookbook author. Jessica is a Le Cordon Bleu certified recipe developer and regularly contributed to Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal, Mashed and more!

Read More About Jessica

4.50 from 36 votes (28 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




Questions and Reviews

  1. 5 stars
    This sauce is amazing! I had a crop of figs so I added 1 cup of sliced figs and used dried cherries. I used the sauce over salmon. My husband loved it!

  2. 5 stars
    I have lost my original recipe for theses preserves and found this while doing a search. Originally my recipe had more cherries and less vinegar and I cooked it longer to get it thicker. I’m excited to try this with more vinegar. This has been one of our favorite toppings. I serve it with my cheese trays, great with roast pork and amazing just as an ice cream topping. I’ve even been accused of eating it by the spoonful. I usually make a big batch and put it in jelly jars and freeze it. It’s is a much requested holiday gift. Thanks for the post!

    1. Hi Jo- let me know how you like it. It is very easily customizable and such a great condiment for SO many things!

  3. This sounds amazing and I am definitely making this. How do you store it for best shelf life and how long will it last?
    This is for the Cherry Balsamic Sauce recipe
    Thank you!

    1. About a week 🙂 Since it is fresh cherries and we aren’t adding any preservatives, it isn’t a “forever” sauce. But I doubt it will last that long, it is darn good!

  4. 5 stars
    This sauce sounds amazing! I love chuncky sauce too. I’m glad I can use frozen cherries to make this recipe. The fresh cherries at our store are sad looking lately. Can’t wait to try it!

    1. I just saw the recipe so I have not tried it yet. I was wondering if you could use dried cherries in this recipe and how much you would use. I think this would be delicious on top of a wheel of melted Brie served with apple slices and crackers.

      1. You are making me hungry, Denise!!!! You can totally use dried cherries. I’d probably do about 1 cup. You can also do dried cranberries. Let us know how it goes!